A0 Expressions & Patterns 1 min read سهل

Asking 'How are you?' (Kumusta)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Kumusta' to ask 'How are you?'—it's the universal Filipino greeting derived from Spanish.

  • Use 'Kumusta ka?' for one person (informal).
  • Use 'Kumusta po kayo?' for elders or formal settings.
  • Add 'na' to ask 'How are you doing now?' (Kumusta ka na?).
Kumusta + (ka/kayo) + (po) = How are you?

Kumusta Usage Table

Form Pronoun/Noun Particle Example
Informal
ka
-
Kumusta ka?
Formal
kayo
po
Kumusta po kayo?
Specific
ang + noun
-
Kumusta ang pagkain?
Progress
ka na
-
Kumusta ka na?
Plural
kayo
-
Kumusta kayo?
Respectful
po
kayo
Kumusta po kayo?

Common Shortened Forms

Full Shortened
Kumusta ka?
Musta?
Kumusta na?
Musta na?

Meanings

A versatile greeting used to inquire about someone's well-being or state of being.

1

Greeting

A standard 'Hello, how are you?'

“Kumusta!”

“Kumusta ka?”

2

Inquiry

Asking about a specific situation or progress.

“Kumusta ang trabaho?”

“Kumusta ang biyahe?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Asking 'How are you?' (Kumusta)
Form Structure Example
Basic
Kumusta + Pronoun
Kumusta ka?
Respectful
Kumusta + po + kayo
Kumusta po kayo?
Specific
Kumusta + ang + Noun
Kumusta ang trabaho?
Follow-up
Kumusta + ka + na
Kumusta ka na?
Casual
Musta
Musta!
Plural
Kumusta + kayo
Kumusta kayo?

طيف الرسمية

رسمي
Kumusta po kayo?

Kumusta po kayo? (General greeting)

محايد
Kumusta ka?

Kumusta ka? (General greeting)

غير رسمي
Musta?

Musta? (General greeting)

عامية
Musta na, pre?

Musta na, pre? (General greeting)

Kumusta Usage Map

Kumusta

People

  • ka you (singular)
  • kayo you (plural/formal)

Respect

  • po politeness marker

Topics

  • ang araw the day
  • ang trabaho the work

أمثلة حسب المستوى

1

Kumusta ka?

How are you?

2

Kumusta po kayo?

How are you? (formal)

3

Kumusta!

Hi!

4

Kumusta ang araw mo?

How is your day?

1

Kumusta ang pamilya mo?

How is your family?

2

Kumusta ang trabaho?

How is work?

3

Kumusta ang biyahe niyo?

How was your trip?

4

Kumusta na ang pakiramdam mo?

How are you feeling now?

1

Kumusta naman ang proyekto natin?

How is our project going?

2

Kumusta ang lagay ng panahon?

How is the weather?

3

Kumusta ang mga bata sa school?

How are the kids at school?

4

Kumusta ang naging resulta ng exam?

How were the exam results?

1

Kumusta ang pag-aadjust mo sa bagong opisina?

How are you adjusting to the new office?

2

Kumusta ang takbo ng negosyo ngayong buwan?

How is the business running this month?

3

Kumusta ang naging karanasan mo sa paglalakbay?

How was your experience traveling?

4

Kumusta ang pakikitungo nila sa iyo?

How are they treating you?

1

Kumusta ang paghahanda para sa nalalapit na kaganapan?

How is the preparation for the upcoming event?

2

Kumusta ang naging diskurso sa pagpupulong?

How was the discourse at the meeting?

3

Kumusta ang sitwasyon sa inyong lugar?

How is the situation in your area?

4

Kumusta ang pag-unlad ng inyong pananaliksik?

How is the progress of your research?

1

Kumusta ang pagtugon ng komunidad sa inyong inisyatibo?

How is the community's response to your initiative?

2

Kumusta ang naging epekto ng polisiya sa inyong sektor?

How was the policy's effect on your sector?

3

Kumusta ang pagpapatupad ng mga bagong regulasyon?

How is the implementation of the new regulations?

4

Kumusta ang inyong pananaw sa kasalukuyang kaganapan?

How is your perspective on current events?

سهل الخلط

Asking 'How are you?' (Kumusta) مقابل Kumusta vs. Kamusta

Both are used, but 'Kumusta' is the standard spelling.

Asking 'How are you?' (Kumusta) مقابل Ka vs. Kayo

Learners mix up singular and plural/formal.

Asking 'How are you?' (Kumusta) مقابل Po usage

Learners forget 'po' with elders.

أخطاء شائعة

✗

Kumusta po ka?

✓

Kumusta po kayo?

Po is used with kayo for respect.
✗

Kumusta ang ka?

✓

Kumusta ka?

Don't use 'ang' with pronouns.
✗

Kumusta po?

✓

Kumusta po kayo?

It's better to include the pronoun.
✗

Kumusta kayo ka?

✓

Kumusta kayo?

Don't double pronouns.
✗

Kumusta ang trabaho mo?

✓

Kumusta ang trabaho?

Both are okay, but 'mo' is optional.
✗

Kumusta ang araw?

✓

Kumusta ang araw mo?

Adding 'mo' makes it personal.
✗

Kumusta ang biyahe?

✓

Kumusta ang biyahe niyo?

Adding 'niyo' clarifies who traveled.
✗

Kumusta ang naging resulta?

✓

Kumusta ang resulta?

Keep it simple for casual talk.
✗

Kumusta ang sitwasyon mo?

✓

Kumusta ang sitwasyon?

Avoid over-personalizing general questions.
✗

Kumusta ang pag-aadjust?

✓

Kumusta ang pag-aadjust mo?

Needs the possessive for clarity.
✗

Kumusta ang pagtugon ng komunidad?

✓

Kumusta ang pagtugon ng komunidad sa inyo?

Needs the prepositional phrase.
✗

Kumusta ang epekto ng polisiya?

✓

Kumusta ang epekto ng polisiya sa inyo?

Needs the target of the effect.
✗

Kumusta ang pagpapatupad?

✓

Kumusta ang pagpapatupad ng regulasyon?

Needs the object of the action.

أنماط الجُمل

Kumusta ___?

Kumusta po ___?

Kumusta ang ___?

Kumusta ka na, ___?

Real World Usage

Texting very common

Musta?

Social Media common

Kumusta kayo diyan?

Job Interview common

Kumusta po kayo?

Ordering Food occasional

Kumusta ang specialty niyo?

Travel common

Kumusta ang biyahe?

Family Gathering constant

Kumusta ka na?

💡

Use Po

Always add 'po' when speaking to elders or superiors.
⚠️

Don't Overuse

Don't say it every time you see someone in the same day.
🎯

Add 'na'

Use 'na' to ask how they are doing lately.
💬

Be Sincere

Filipinos value the sincerity behind the question.

Smart Tips

Always add 'po'.

Kumusta ka? → Kumusta po kayo?

Use 'ang' + noun.

Kumusta trabaho? → Kumusta ang trabaho?

Add 'na'.

Kumusta ka? → Kumusta ka na?

Use 'kayo' instead of 'ka'.

Kumusta ka, Boss? → Kumusta po kayo, Boss?

النطق

IPA: /kuˈmusta/

Stress

Stress the second syllable: ku-MUS-ta.

Rising

Kumusta ka? ↑

Friendly, inquisitive tone.

احفظها

وسيلة تذكّر

Think of 'Come-usta'—'Come' to me and tell me how you are.

ربط بصري

Imagine a friendly Filipino person waving and asking 'Kumusta!' with a big smile.

Rhyme

Kumusta ka, mabuti ba?

Story

Maria meets her friend Juan in the park. She smiles and says 'Kumusta ka!'. Juan replies 'Mabuti naman!'. They then talk about their day.

Word Web

kakayopoangmabutinaman

تحدٍّ

Say 'Kumusta' to three different people today and observe their reactions.

ملاحظات ثقافية

Asking 'Kumusta' is a way to show you value the relationship.

Derived from the Spanish '¿Cómo está?'

بدايات محادثة

“

Kumusta ang araw mo?

“

Kumusta ang trabaho mo?

“

Kumusta ang biyahe niyo?

“

Kumusta ang pag-aadjust mo?

مواضيع للكتابة اليومية

Write about your day using 'Kumusta'.
Ask a friend how they are.
Describe how your work is going.
Reflect on a recent trip.

أخطاء شائعة

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Kumusta ___?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Ka is the pronoun for singular you.
Choose the correct formal greeting. اختيار متعدد

Which is formal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Po makes it formal.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Kumusta po ka?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Po goes with kayo.
Order the words. Sentence Building

ang / Kumusta / trabaho / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct word order.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Kumusta ka? B: ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Mabuti naman is the standard reply.
Sort by formality. Grammar Sorting

Which is most formal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: c
Po and kayo are formal.
Change to formal. Conjugation Drill

Kumusta ka?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Standard formal structure.
Match the meaning. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Araw means day.

Score: /8

تمارين تطبيقية

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Kumusta ___?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Ka is the pronoun for singular you.
Choose the correct formal greeting. اختيار متعدد

Which is formal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Po makes it formal.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Kumusta po ka?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Po goes with kayo.
Order the words. Sentence Building

ang / Kumusta / trabaho / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct word order.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Kumusta ka? B: ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Mabuti naman is the standard reply.
Sort by formality. Grammar Sorting

Which is most formal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: c
Po and kayo are formal.
Change to formal. Conjugation Drill

Kumusta ka?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Standard formal structure.
Match the meaning. Match Pairs

Match 'Kumusta ang araw mo?'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Araw means day.

Score: /8

الأسئلة الشائعة (8)

Yes, but use 'po' for elders.

No, it's just a variant spelling.

Say 'Mabuti naman' (I'm fine).

Use 'Kumusta po kayo?' to be safe.

No, you can ask about things too.

It's a sign of respect in Filipino culture.

Yes, it's common in professional emails.

It adds a sense of 'lately' or 'now'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish high

¿Cómo estás?

Filipino adds 'po' for respect.

French moderate

Comment ça va?

French uses 'comment' (how) while Filipino uses 'kumusta'.

German moderate

Wie geht es dir?

German is more complex grammatically.

Japanese moderate

O-genki desu ka?

Japanese uses 'genki' (health) while Filipino uses 'kumusta' (how).

Arabic moderate

Kayfa halak?

Arabic has gendered forms.

Chinese low

Ni hao ma?

Chinese uses 'ma' as a particle.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Daytime Greetings (Magandang Umaga)
Next
Saying Goodbye (Paalam)

Related Grammar Rules

A0

Saying Goodbye (Paalam)
A0

Daytime Greetings (Magandang Umaga)
A0

Thanking People (Salamat)
A0

Basic Introductions
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